MENU

Sections

More

December 31, 2025

Cambridge Spy

Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Cambridge

00 Post to Chestertown Spy 1A Arts Lead 3 Top Story Archives Cambridge Point of View Hugh

AI is Coming for the Music Industry

by
Leave a Comment

The song “Walk My Walk,” by the band Breaking Rust, recently hit number one on the Billboard Country Digital Song Sales chart in November 2025. What was particularly interesting, and scary, was that it was entirely AI-generated, the first time an AI-generated song topped the US Billboard chart, generating millions of streams. As of November, 3-4 million on Spotify and 11 million streams on YouTube.

I heard the song a few weeks ago. I liked it along with other songs by the band (“Livin’ on Borrowed Time” and “Whiskey Don’t Talk Back”), which also generated big streaming numbers. They all have a distinctive country blues sound. I shared a link to the song “Walk My Walk” with family and friends for a listen using Spotify.  Hear it on YouTube. 

I wanted to know more about the band and the vocalist, but it was hard to find, which was odd given how much basic marketing music labels do to promote bands. I eventually discovered that the song was AI-generated by the creator Aubierre Rivaldo Taylor. AI music has been creeping onto the music charts recently, and what seemed only an existential threat to artists is now here and number 1 on the charts. 

According to the AI chat platform ChatGPT, the song was created by the AI music platform Suno. There are no human performers. Even the singer’s “gravely Southern drawl” in the song, made to sound like a human artist like Chris Stapleton, was AI-generated, as were the rugged cowboy still and video images that depicted the artist’s fictional persona. 

I listen to a lot of music, worked as a satellite music content distributor for a long time, and I couldn’t tell that it was AI-generated. When I learned it was, I thought of my favorite sci-fi film, Blade Runner, starring Harrison Ford as a futuristic detective tasked with hunting down dangerous synthetic humanoid robots called Replicants. 

In the movie, the only way to know whether someone was human or a replicant was to administer a test that measured involuntary physiological responses to emotionally provocative questions. The test assesses empathy by hypothesizing that a human’s empathetic response will differ from a replicant’s.  

The music industry is going to need a lot of Blade Runner AI detectives to determine whether a song was created by human artistry or AI, a distinction this AI song has blurred. Its popularity has reignited the heated debate about AI and the future of music creation by living and breathing artists. 

AI models like Suno are trained using vast amounts of copyrighted music from existing databases without the explicit consent or compensation of the original creators, unless side deals are made similar to those OpenAI has made with newspapers and other content providers. 

The use of this data to create new, commercially successful songs, without compensation, is seen by artists and music labels as theft, raising questions about intellectual property rights in the world of AI.

How much of “Walk My Walk” came out of digital fragments of works from artists, dead or alive, and how should they or their estates be compensated? Let the lawsuits begin. Several major entities, including music labels and organizations representing independent artists, have sued Suno, a venture-backed AI company, for copyright infringement. 

I am on the artist’s side. Our culture romanticizes the artistic process: the poor, struggling musician pouring out their emotions, scribbling notes and lyrics on scraps of paper, waiting for their big break. We lived through this right of passage for iconic artists like Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Bruce Springsteen, and it continues today.    

However, when cheaply produced AI-generated music competes for listener attention alongside human-created music, it can and will reduce the earnings potential for human artists, especially new artists struggling to make a living. The music industry’s royalty models and federal legislation are outdated and wildly ill-equipped to handle the rise of machine-generated content.

The music industry as a whole has not engendered much goodwill over the years. The industry culture is for labels to mimic successful artists to reduce risk. Pop music sounds wildly overproduced and less authentic. Music labels act like banks rather than creative shops as they used to be. Giant digital distributors like Spotify dominate the business, and monopolistic concert companies like Live Nation and ticket scalpers have driven up ticket prices to the point of being out of reach for many consumers due to rampant price gouging by bad actors.

The word ‘derivative’ in the music world has two meanings: one relating to copyright law and the other to critical and compositional discussions. In the latter, a work is described as “derivative” if it sounds unoriginal, heavily imitative, or lacks fresh solutions. 

Under U.S. copyright law, a “derivative work” is a new, original work that is based on or incorporates substantial copyrightable elements of one or more pre-existing works. This differs from a standard cover song (i.e, Harold Arlen’s “Over the Rainbow”), which is a straightforward interpretation of the original, with minimal changes to the core melody or lyrics.  

Legally, you must get explicit permission from the original copyright holder to create and distribute a derivative work. The original copyright holder reserves the exclusive right to authorize adaptations of their work. For example, remixes, mashups, and medleys; musical arrangements that significantly alter the original melody, harmony, or lyrics; song translations into a different language, and works that heavily sample an existing sound recording. 

Tech giants’ rapid innovation has allowed, even encouraged, widespread copyright infringement.  AI will obliterate the quaint definition of derivative work. Imagine every song ever copyrighted ingested into an AI platform like Suno, which analyzes a user’s text prompt describing the style, mood, or genre of a song they want to create, which might include specific instructions or phrases, as well as a request for a cool Santana-like guitar riff. And VIOLA! 

We have to support artists, and need a new regulatory framework to protect the integrity of the music industry, requiring at a minimum:

Mandatory AI Transparency: Clear labeling of AI-generated music to help listeners make informed choices.

Build Forensic AI Models: We need AI tools that can uncover the digital building blocks underlying AI-generated content, enabling us to determine artist compensation.

Create New Federal Regulations: Congress needs to update copyright laws to address the challenges posed by AI. Prioritizing artist consent and fair compensation. 

The live concert experience is safe from the AI monster, since it is impossible for an AI algorithm to replicate the feeling of seeing your favorite artists perform live.

I recently attended the Natalie Merchant concert at the Avalon in Easton, MD. I have followed her since her days with 10,000 Manics. At 62, performing an acoustic set with only a guitarist, her voice remains strong and authentic. She interacted with the crowd with warmth and humor, something an algorithm cannot do, at least for now – Thank God for that. 

Hugh Panero, a tech and media entrepreneur, was the founder and former CEO of XM Satellite Radio. He has worked with leading tech venture capital firms and was an adjunct media professor at George Washington University. He writes about Tech, Media, and other stuff for the Spy.

 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Thoughts on a Better Future for Maryland by David Reel 

by
Leave a Comment

Recently, Governor Wes Moore addressed a group of regional business leaders at a Greater Washington Board of Trade event at National Harbor.

Moore noted that historically, Maryland’s economy has depended on higher education, federal government spending, federal government jobs, and health care. Going forward, he stated Maryland needs greater diversity from and less reliance on these three economic drivers.

He also challenged the business leaders by saying, “If you’re not going to take big bets, then, frankly, get out of the seat and let someone else sit in it.”

That is also a timely challenge for a governor and legislature in a state with a less than sterling track record on taking big bets on steps to improve the state’s business climate.

In a 2025 Top States for Business rankings report from CNBC, Maryland ranks 32nd overall in a one-spot decline from last year and part of a 10-place drop over just two years ago.

Maryland’s 32nd-place ranking is not just lower than #1-ranked North Carolina, #2-ranked Texas, and #3-ranked Florida. Maryland is also ranked lower than California (#22) and New York (#23). Closer to home, Virginia ranks #4, Pennsylvania ranks # 17, and Delaware ranks #29, even though there are regular reports on an increasing number of large corporations leaving the state.

To help convert that vision into reality, here are four key messaging strategies for Governor Moore and all who support converting his economic vision for Maryland into reality.

•    Develop and distribute memorable SMART goals on economic growth and economic diversification. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Assigned for Accountability, Realistic, and Time Sensitive. Peter Drucker has written, what gets measured gets done. Drucker has also written, “Not-for-profit organizations [governments at all levels included] need management even more than business. Good intentions are no substitute for organization and leadership, for accountability, performance, and results.”

•    Create and maintain a sense of urgency. John Kotter has written a true sense of urgency is when one acknowledges action on critical issues is needed now, not eventually, not when it fits easily into a schedule. Now means making real progress every single day. Urgent behavior is not driven by a belief that all is well or that everything is a mess, but instead the world contains great opportunities and great hazards.”

•    Communicate a better future. Frank Luntz has written, “It’s not what you write or say, it is what people read or hear. You can have the best message in the world, but the person on the receiving end will always understand it through the prism of their own emotions, preconceptions, prejudices, and preexisting beliefs. Get your audience to visualize… imagine. Only when people can see a better future will they consider a change.”

•    Repeat your vision and your goals early and often. Adam Grant has written, “It’s better to overcommunicate and sound redundant than to undercommunicate and seem unclear and uncaring. Repeating yourself is vital to effective communication. In an analysis of thousands of 360 feedback assessments, leaders were over nine times more likely to be criticized for undercommunicating than overcommunicating. In an experiment, people who undercommunicated were judged as unqualified to lead because they lacked empathy. When you hesitate to repeat your ideas, you don’t just fail to get your point across—you also come across as if you don’t care.”

Maryland is at a crossroads facing a projected a $1.4 billion state budget revenue shortfall in the next fiscal year and a new estimate on the cost to rebuild the Key Bridge has gone from $1.7 billion to between $4.3 and $5.2 billion.

Maryland has also not yet addressed full funding for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. The Blueprint, also known as the Kirwan Plan, is a 10-year education “reform” initiative. Kirwan needs new state and local funding for the state’s public school to offer universal pre-K, improve teaching and make sure students are ready for college or careers. Some estimates are that fully implementing Kirwan will require more than $4 billion from the state by 2029.

Despite that projection, there has not been and is not any sense of urgency on decisions on where this new funding will come from. Last year, State Senate President Bill Ferguson said, “Several years from now we’re going to have to have a much more direct conversation about the long-term costs but we’re not there yet.” This year, State Senator Guy Guzzone, Chair of the State Senate Budget and Taxation Finance Committee, said, “I think we know the reality that we’re facing. And I think there’s gonna be a lot of discussion about that. I just don’t know that there’s an immediate answer.”

The best immediate answer is to reduce overall state spending and to revise Kirwan to include reducing or eliminating new spending mandates for local school districts.

The only other options available to the governor and general assembly are increasing the number of taxpayers, cutting services, higher tax rates, new taxes, higher fees, new fees, more draws from the “rainy day” fund, and issuing bonds, hoping for a good credit rating.

No wonder: in recent surveys conducted by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 49% of Maryland respondents believe the state is on the wrong track, and 53% have considered moving to another state.

Now more than ever, Maryland residents deserve less talk and more action on Maryland’s economic future to help ensure they are not just staying here but are also thriving here.

David Reel is a public affairs and public relations consultant. He is also a consultant for profit organizations on governance, leadership, and management matters. He lives in Easton.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Low Visibility by Al Sikes

by
Leave a Comment

Many of us have been caught in a snow blizzard at least once. Mostly, not intentionally. Visibility—well, it closes in on nil. Cold—my few experiences were in high winds, and on one occasion, I got frostbite. No sympathy, please—I was in a duck blind and refused to call it a day.

Today, our nation’s finances are careening toward nil. We can’t see or understand a $38 trillion debt. We, the United States of America, owe other people that amount of money, and our debt obligations have been going up and up for several decades. Think Treasury Bills, Bonds, Notes, and more. The last time America balanced its books was in fiscal year 2001.

If we paid off our national debt over a generation, let’s say 25 years, and the interest rate on the debt was 5%, we would need to pay $2.7 trillion dollars a year in principal and interest. I should add, a credible debt retirement program would reduce the carrying cost. Indeed, a credible program would facilitate debt as a normal element of a dynamic economy.

But back to the payment plan: $2.7 trillion a year! Our defense budget in 2024 was $865 billion, 13% of the annual budget. We, of course, will not quit spending on defense. The annual cost of Medicare in 2023 was $1.03 trillion.

Enough, you get why I suggested our nation’s finances are a low visibility event. We can’t fathom that amount of money. We can’t fathom where we are going to get almost triple the amount paid out for Medicare to make the necessary annual payment to retire our debt eventually.

One might look at the policy platforms of each political party to see how they would retire our national debt, but guess what, they don’t say. Surprise! Cynicism follows.

The dominant political parties should not be allowed to get away with a national bankruptcy trajectory. If you are a Democrat, don’t try to tell me there is some Valhalla that awaits our nation if we just add costly new programs. And if you are a Republican, don’t tell me we will resolve our fiscal mess without any additional tax revenue. We will not grow ourselves out of our shame.

Maybe we need to come inside. Snow blizzards are not pleasant. And yet that is where we are in our national politics. Neither Party is serious. Both are too caught up in their childish games of blame. And neither are attracting blue-chip candidates for office. How do I know? Because in office, the vast majority do not treat money in and out with any seriousness. For at least a generation, promises of new spending pile up, and then each year, the political speeches call for more programs on top of programs that leave the body politic with an increasingly dark outlook.

President Trump is a fruit of cynicism—cause and effect. Trump recently floated the idea of $2,000 payments to low- and middle-income households, funded by revenue from his tariffs. Earlier he had suggested tariff income could be used to reduce the deficit. His polling numbers are down and now he is going to give away even more money than in the “big, beautiful bill” to get them up.

Thanksgiving thought. In an international ranking of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, the United States is the top-ranked large country at $75,492. Yet our massive appetite has resulted in a $38 trillion dollar debt. Indisputably, we have much to be thankful for. Our unfunded appetite is not on that list.

I have no idea when this folly will stop, but it will. As the cost of borrowing goes up and up something will give and maybe somebody will step up. But if somebody steps up, will we be capable of recognizing him/her? Or will our inebriation continue?

Al Sikes is the former Chair of the Federal Communications Commission under George H.W. Bush. Al writes on themes from his book, Culture Leads Leaders Follow published by Koehler Books. 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Love is a Relative Term By Laura J. Oliver

by
Leave a Comment

As you read this, Grandme is a memory, relationships have come and gone, children have left home. 

As you read this, only the feeling that existed in this time and place lives on, but it is proof that what people most remember about us is not what we did or said, but how we made them feel.  

Walnut leaves fall like golden rain this long-ago autumn as we make the 7 ½ hour drive to the southern mill town of Asheboro, North Carolina, to visit the children’s great-grandmother. We go to escape our daily schedules, to be spoiled with attention and shown off to neighbors, for in this world we are still children, though we have children of our own. We have been coming since we were in college, before we had made a family. Now, we make this trip on borrowed time. Grandme will be 88 in the spring. 

When we turn down the long, hilly road leading to Grandme’s brick house, it beckons from the top of the rise like a lantern in the twilight. Autumn is as gentle here as the retired millworkers and Sunday School teachers who reside in this tight-knit community. Even in the balmy November dusk, we can see blue morning glories, tightly closed, clinging to the lamppost as we pull the car into the drive and emerge stiff with travel. Pale yellow roses placed about the house in honor of our arrival greet us in the parlor. A single perfect bud bows from a slender vase on the linoleum kitchen table, where we gather to recount tales of the trip south while the children scamper about in search of “Boy.”

Boy is Grandme’s 17-year-old, black-as-carbon, cat. His formal name is Booger-Boy… a fact we conceal from the children because they would love it too much. No one knows why Boy is peculiar, but his intense paranoia is generally accepted as the infirmity of any aging relative. He jumps at the slightest sound, won’t be held, and spends an inordinate amount of time hiding in the basement, coming and going unobtrusively by a cat door.

A squeal, a thud, and running feet tell us there has been a sighting, and we relax, knowing the children will be occupied for a while.

Grandme stands at the kitchen counter pulling out Tupperware containers full of homemade baked goods of every kind. She stands very erect, and her grey hair is swept upward, adding several inches to her stature. Behind her, the paned window has been polished crystal clear, and on the pristine, white-painted sill, African violets bloom in pink profusion.

Grandme is the first to begin the ritual storytelling as we sample coconut cake, then a cherry pie. The entire town knows when Grandme’s “kids” are coming, and in southern tradition, they all pitch in to help with the food. Grandme lets us assume she has made all these delicacies, and we don’t ask for recipes. 

The week before our arrival, she begins, she came home from shopping, fed Boy, and began to sense another presence in the house. She called her next-door neighbor Lucy.

“Lucy?” she whispered. “Hey, honey, it’s me. Listen, I think there’s somebody in my house.”

The two women, neighbors for 60 years, who routinely scare each other with arrest accounts from the Courier-Tribune, armed themselves with kitchen utensils and began their search. 

Boy, slinking around with them, appeared under beds, in closets, and on clothes chests, his green eyes wild and gleaming when confronted by the flashlight. 

At last, the intruder was identified. An opossum, sound asleep under an upstairs sofa, had found the cat door convenient access to a good night’s rest. Boy, eyes bulging at the discovery, dissolved into the night like spilled ink. 

We laugh at the story and refill our coffee cups; thick, rounded porcelain mugs you’d find in a small-town diner. 

The children, exhausted, climb the stairs to bed and we adults settle down to gossip late into the night about all the aunts, sisters, brothers, and cousins not present. We can do this, of course, because we are family, and it is assumed we love each other unconditionally, if imperfectly. So, we gasp over Marcia’s affair, shake our heads woefully at Uncle Joe’s beer consumption, and discuss with genuine interest distant relations we will never meet. 

Although these are not my blood relatives, they are my children’s, and by association, I can gasp and gossip with the rest of them. After all, we are a clan, kinfolk, a tribe. With that thought, I glance around at the photographs on the TV, the scrawled cards from the great-grandchildren on the refrigerator, and know that we each make this trip for a different reason, take home a different experience.

The children are compiling memories of a great-grandmother they will not always have. Their father is fondly reliving summer memories of his youth, and I am being healed. 

My own family had little of this comfortable unity. My mother retained custody of my two older sisters and me, but we were no longer a family of five. We were Virginia and the girls. Divorce took more than a parent; it took our familyness, 

When love has gone haywire in the past, it becomes even more important to create families of our own–a place where we can satisfy our innate need to belong to someone. That acceptance, wherever we can find it, is the healing and magnification of the human heart. It is through this experience in my own life that I have come to recognize a larger and larger group as family. 

Even now, when a writer whose manuscript I’m working on complains about the state of publishing today, I nod with split attention, remembering that tonight, my family is going to enjoy homemade vegetable soup with crusty herb bread and Irish butter by the fire. Joy that is pure and simple gratitude wells up and spills over. I am spirit-rich. I am generous. I feel a connection to people I have not met, and I know it is real, though it is beyond my understanding. My family becomes the family of man, including this writer and his anxieties. 

It is late when we rise to wash our coffee cups at the porcelain sink. The darkness outside has turned the kitchen window into a mirror, and our reflections break and mingle in the small panes.

We call the cat inside softly and prepare for bed. By midnight, the house is finally silent, and we whisper our goodnights to Grandme from the quilted four-poster bed in the guestroom. 

But I am not a guest. Nor are you. We are simply family that has yet to meet.

Happy Thanksgiving, beloveds. Happy Thanksgiving. 

Laura J. Oliver is an award-winning developmental book editor and writing coach, who has taught writing at the University of Maryland and St. John’s College. She is the author of The Story Within (Penguin Random House). Co-creator of The Writing Intensive at St. John’s College, she is the recipient of a Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award in Fiction, an Anne Arundel County Arts Council Literary Arts Award winner, a two-time Glimmer Train Short Fiction finalist, and her work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Her website can be found here.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

From & Fuller: Epstein Files Fallout and the Future of the GOP

by
Leave a Comment

Every Thursday, The Spy hosts a conversation with Al From and Craig Fuller on the most topical political news of the moment. 

This week, From and Fuller discuss Congress’s decision to direct the Justice Department to release all files related to its investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as well as the implications for a Republican Party that seems increasingly divided. 

Kat Engst is guest-hosting this week while Dave Wheelan is on assignment.

This video podcast is approximately twenty-one minutes in length.

Background

While the Spy’s public affairs mission has always been hyper-local, it has never limited us from covering national, or even international issues, that impact the communities we serve. With that in mind, we were delighted that Al From and Craig Fuller, both highly respected Washington insiders, have agreed to a new Spy video project called “The Analysis of From and Fuller” over the next year.

The Spy and our region are very lucky to have such an accomplished duo volunteer for this experiment. While one is a devoted Democrat and the other a lifetime Republican, both had long careers that sought out the middle ground of the American political spectrum.

Al From, the genius behind the Democratic Leadership Council’s moderate agenda which would eventually lead to the election of Bill Clinton, has never compromised from this middle-of-the-road philosophy. This did not go unnoticed in a party that was moving quickly to the left in the 1980s. Including progressive Howard Dean saying that From’s DLC was the Republican wing of the Democratic Party.

From’s boss, Bill Clinton, had a different perspective. He said it would be hard to think of a single American citizen who, as a private citizen, has had a more positive impact on the progress of American life in the last 25 years than Al From.”

Al now lives in Annapolis and spends his semi-retirement as a board member of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University (his alma mater) and authoring New Democrats and the Return to Power. He also is an adjunct faculty member at Johns Hopkins’ Krieger School and recently agreed to serve on the Annapolis Spy’s Board of Visitors. He is the author of “New Democrats and the Return to Power.”

For Craig Fuller, his moderation in the Republican party was a rare phenomenon. With deep roots in California’s GOP culture of centralism, Fuller, starting with a long history with Ronald Reagan, leading to his appointment as Reagan’s cabinet secretary at the White House, and later as George Bush’s chief-of-staff and presidential campaign manager was known for his instincts to find the middle ground. Even more noted was his reputation of being a nice guy in Washington, a rare characteristic for a successful tenure in the White House.

Craig has called Easton his permanent home for the last eight years, where he now chairs the board of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and is a former board member of the Academy Art Museum and Benedictine. He also serves on the Spy’s Board of Visitors and writes an e-newsletter available by clicking on DECADE SEVEN.

With their rich experience and long history of friendship, now joined by their love of the Chesapeake Bay, they have agreed through the magic of Zoom, to talk inside politics and policy with the Spy every Thursday.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Nature’s “Inventions” By Angela Rieck

by
Leave a Comment

Since recorded history, people have looked to nature for knowledge. Today, the study of animals, insects, and plants has led to inventions such as improved solar panels, bird-safe glass, medical glue, and efficient wind turbines. The combination of basic research of nature and engineering applications is called bioinspiration as scientists and engineers collaborate on learning and applying nature’s secrets.

Despite the innovations, the future of bioinspiration is uncertain due to 55% budget cuts to the National Science Foundation (NSF). The funds remaining have been directed to AI and quantum computing. 

There are many examples of present technology that we have gained from basic knowledge of nature. For example, by studying barnacles, scientists have developed new glues that create strong, waterproof adhesives for underwater use and medical applications, such as wound closure.

We all have been annoyed by burrs on our clothing. But this led to the invention of Velcro. Back in the 1940s, a Swiss inventor George de Mestral was curious about burdock burrs that stuck to his pants and his dog’s fur. He studied the burrs under a microscope and discovered thousands of tiny hooks. This insight and the use of nylon allowed him to develop a new kind of fastener, which he called Velcro. 

When engineers in Japan created high-speed trains in the 1980s and 1990s, they encountered some problems with noise. When high-speed trains reached a tunnel exit, they created a sonic boom. Engineers discovered that kingfisher birds dive into the water at high speed and their beaks slip noiselessly into the water without so much as a splash. So, they modeled their trains after the kingfisher’s beak and solved the noise problem. 

Butterflies offer several promising technological advances. Scientists have discovered cocoonase, an enzyme found in Bombyx and various butterflies and moths, which can break down blood clots. Another breakthrough involves adopting the wing design of the Blue Morpho butterfly. This allows researchers and engineers to generate an ultra-black material that boosts solar panel efficiency by 130%. 

Researchers are looking at a protein called fibroin in silk for potential medical applications. By dissolving the fibroin protein in water and subsequently removing the water, they can create a versatile substance that is flexible for bandages or as hard as Kevlar for medical implants and screws. Because it is a natural material, it does not trigger inflammatory responses, making it well-suited for medicine. 

Knowledge of whales has resulted in the redesigning ship hulls. Humpback whales have massive size knobs on the edge of their fins called tubercles. Scientists discovered that these tubercles keep by keeping water flowing smoothly over their fins, generating extra lift. The technology has been adopted to improve wind turbine blades, industrial ceiling fans, truck mirrors and even surfboards.

Sharkskin has a special pattern that helps them keep clean of algae and other hitch-hiking sea creatures. NASA copied the pattern to create a coating that was used on American sailing boats in the Olympics to help them glide faster through the water. The technology is also used for some competitive swimsuits.

Lotus leaves stay clean thanks to microscopic textures that repel water and dirt. Now there is a whole generation of self-cleaning paints, windows, fabrics, and solar panels that reduce grime buildup and cut down on maintenance.

Spider webs reflect ultraviolet (UV) light, which birds can see (but we cannot). This prevents birds from flying into spider webs. Using this principle, architects and engineers have developed glass with UV-reflective patterns to reduce bird strikes. The technology is now being used in office buildings, transit stations, and even residential homes.

Geckos climb smooth surfaces using sticky toes covered with hundreds of thousands of tiny hairs that create weak molecular attractions. Geckos can stick firmly and still lift their feet easily. Inspired by this, scientists made a fabric that mimics gecko feet; a piece the size of an index card can hold over 700 pounds on glass without leaving marks.

Termite mounds have been researched for both their ecological significance in the wild and their principles of construction have been applied to architecture. Modern buildings incorporate passive cooling systems inspired by termite mounds, employing ventilation techniques to maintain consistent indoor temperatures.

Adaptive camouflage refers to a camouflage that can alter its appearance based on the environment. Scientists developed this technology by learning how cephalopods (such as octopuses) adjust both their color and texture to match their surroundings.

The honeycomb pattern created by bees when building their hives has many applications. Every day we see its use in packaging materials and building construction.

There are many more technologies and medicines that we have developed from the study of nature. But the point is simple. We can learn from it, but it requires funding.

Let’s hope that funding for this research restarts soon.

Angela Rieck, a Caroline County native, received her PhD in Mathematical Psychology from the University of Maryland and worked as a scientist at Bell Labs, and other high-tech companies in New Jersey before retiring as a corporate executive. Angela and her dogs divide their time between St Michaels and Key West Florida. Her daughter lives and works in New York City.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

The Maryland Caucus: Maryland’s Budget Crisis + Redistricting Plans Set in Motion

by
Leave a Comment

Every Wednesday, Maryland political analysts Len Foxwell and Clayton Mitchell discuss the politics and personalities of the state and region.

This week, Len and Clayton discuss the state’s nearly $1.5 billion budget deficit projected for the upcoming fiscal year, along with the continuation of Governor Wes Moore’s redistricting plan, which could eliminate the state’s only Republican congressional district. 

This video is approximately 20 minutes in length.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Songs That Could Be About Donald Trump by J.E. Dean

by
Leave a Comment

These are dark days for democracy. I could be over-reacting, but I believe we are in the middle of a scandal worse than Watergate—and with my name, I should know. In Watergate, there was a crime followed by a coverup. Will history repeat itself with a coverup that ends a Presidency? 

The President is acting like he has something to hide. He is avoiding the press and, on Friday, directed the Attorney General to investigate Democrats who may have engaged in crimes at the invitation of Mr. Epstein. The Attorney General, of course, immediately announced that she has assigned a prosecutor to investigate.

What is going on here? One possibility is that Trump hopes Democrats’ fear that incriminating evidence on President Clinton and other prominent Democrats will be disclosed which will prompt them—the Democrats—to kill or limit the release of the files.

The second possibility is that the newly-announced DOJ investigation will be offered as justification not to release the files or to make further redactions—redactions that could remove all references to Trump.

Both possibilities (and there are others) sound like coverups.

I regretfully missed this year’s Waterfowl Festival. If I had been there, I would have recalled the saying, “if something looks like a duck and sounds like a duck, it’s probably a duck.” 

Where there is smoke, there is fire. The President is feeling the heat.

Tragically, the Epstein scandal is but one of several brewing around Donald Trump. The others involve violations of the Constitution, allegations of corruption, and illegal military strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats. More than 80 people have now been killed. I suspect some of them did not deserve to die.

Don’t forget the illegal closure of federal agencies, the firing of federal employees, and the disgusting abuse of the judicial system. Representative Eric Swalwell has just been added to those being investigated for mortgage fraud. And the list will grow longer. 

If I sound disgusted with Trump, I am. And do not tell me I am suffering from “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”  I would not be as focused on Trump as much as I am if there were not so much to focus on—most of it extremely troubling. If what seems to be happening is happening, America has a corrupt President who has been swallowed by his own narcissism and obsession with power. 

Writing about Trump is not fun, believe me. Reviewing Trump’s words and actions to prepare to write about them is a challenge, which is why sometimes, as I write about Trump, I try to avoid the sordid details.

As I was writing this column, I thought about Maria Grant’s recent piece in The Spy about pieces of music to listen to when depressed about the state of the world. Her piece prompted me to make a list of my own. 

My list consists of songs about Trump and the mess he has created. I share my list with a cautionary note: Sexual abuse of underage girls (or of anyone) is not funny. Similarly, Trump’s policies and actions not only reflect badly on him, but they also hurt people—people who depend on the government for social services and support and the people who work for the federal government. 

So, please do not mistake my list as making light of this dark period in our national history.

Here’s the list:

You’re No Good Linda Ronstadt. Very simply, Trump is no good. 

Smiling faces Sometimes by The Temptations and The Undisputed Truth. Trump smiles a lot (for example, when he is awake and in social settings like the recent “Gatsby-themed” celebration at Mar-a-Lago). When Trump is smiling, he often is lying.

Liar, Liar by The Castaways. President Trump may not have won the Nobel Peace Prize, but he belongs in the Guinness Book for the number of lies by an American President. 

Money by Pink Floyd. Money is the most important thing in the world for Trump. I don’t think he realizes that he can’t take it with him. . . 

Goldfinger by Shirley Bassey. The President loves gold, even more than the title character of the James Bond movie, Goldfinger.

Little Red Riding Hood by Sam the Sham, and the Pharaohs. This one is a reference to possibility of major trouble for Trump in the Epstein files.

Stray Cat Blues by The Rolling Stones. The Stones regret releasing this song, which appeared on the album, Beggar’s Banquet, but it fits when thinking about Trump’s one-time best friend, Epstein.

You’re So Vain by Carly Simon. I have never encountered anyone as vain as Donald Trump. And hope I never will. 

I’m a Loser, The Beatles. Trump lost the 2020 election. He’s on track to lose the 2026 mid-terms unless we, the people, stop him.

They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Ha! by Napoleon XIV (Jerry Samuels). Have you read Trump’s social media posts of the last 10 months? If Trump is ever prosecuted for crimes he is alleged to have committed both as President and as a private citizen, he will have the defense of insanity available.

I have additional songs on my list, but politics is serious business. Those of us who cherish democracy, civil rights, human decency, and empathy need to get to work on the 2026 mid-term elections and in supporting democracy. 

J.E. Dean writes on politics, government, goldendoodles, and other subjects. A former counsel on Capitol Hill and public affairs consultant, Dean also writes for Dean’s Issues & Insights on Substack.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

The Labyrinth By Jamie Kirkpatrick

by
Leave a Comment

Don’t ask me why—I’m not sure even I know—but I’ve been musing about labyrinths lately. I’m sure you’re familiar with the concept: a labyrinth was a maze-like structure constructed of elaborate multi-branching paths and abrupt dead ends designed to confuse the foolish traveler or contain the monster within. The most famous labyrinth, of course, was the one built by Daedalus for King Minos of Crete to imprison the dreaded Minotaur. That labyrinth was so cunningly designed that even its architect could barely find his way back to daylight. More on that story anon…

Over time, labyrinths developed a less sinister, more spiritual character. In the Christian tradition, labyrinths offered medieval pilgrims or worshippers a meditative experience. The most famous medieval labyrinth, which had a great influence on later designs and practice, was created on the floor in Chartres Cathedral more than a thousand years ago. One could enter that labyrinth and wind his or her way slowly toward the center—presumably God—in an almost trance-like state. All the distractions of this world would slip away as the pilgrim moved ever-so-slowly forward, before eventually reaching the labyrinth’s divine center. 

These days—sigh—the labyrinth is often used in video games that challenge a player to move an avatar either into or away from some cartoon dilemma without getting blown to smithereens by a gruesome fiend bent on universal destruction. We’ve come a long way, baby…or not.

So now, here I am, walking my own labyrinth, wondering why I’m here and where I’m going. The best answer I can come up with is that the twenty-three thousand Epstein documents that were dumped on us last week have created something akin to a modern political labyrinth with truth at its center. I’m positive that even as I write this, journalists all over the world are sorting through this labyrinth of messages, trying to arrive at the kernel of truth that must lie at the center of this sordid, sorry tale. No doubt, many will get lost in byways of deceit or drawn into dead-ends of lies, but in the end, I believe the truth will out and we will navigate this awful labyrinth. Will the modern Minotaur in its center be slain? Time will tell, but I can’t help but dread the darkness that lies ahead.

The original labyrinth story begins when King Minos of Crete ordered the inventor Daedalus to build a labyrinth to imprison a hideous half-bull, half-man creature called the Minotaur. Minos had defeated the Athenians in battle and forced them to pay an annual tribute of seven boys and seven girls who would be left in the labyrinth to be consumed by the dreaded beast. (Ring a bell?) But one year, Theseus, the son of King Aegeus of Athens, came to Crete as part of this tribute, and with the help of King Minos’ daughter Ariadne, he killed the Minotaur and by following a ball of thread found his way out of the labyrinth. Theseus and Ariadne then escaped over the sea, but instead of marrying her as he had promised, Theseus left Ariadne as she slept on the island of Naxos. That might have been the end of the story, but no, not for the Greeks. When Theseus finally sailed within sight of Athens, he forgot to hoist the white sail that would signal to his father that he was returning safely. Alas! Seeing an ochre sail, King Aegeus threw himself into the sea and drowned. 

The Greeks sure knew how to tell a tale. I’m sorry this one did not have a happier ending. I wonder how our own journey out of this modern-day labyrinth will end.

I’ll be right back.

Jamie Kirkpatrick is a writer and photographer who lives on both sides of the Chesapeake Bay. His editorials and reviews have appeared in the Washington Post, the Baltimore Sun, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Washington College Alumni Magazine, and American Cowboy Magazine. His most recent novel, “The Tales of Bismuth; Dispatches from Palestine, 1945-1948” explores the origins of the Arab-Israeli conflict. It is available on Amazon and in local bookstores. His newest novel, “The People Game,” hits the market in February 2026. His website is musingjamie.net.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Disillusioned? Wisdom is On the Way By Maria Grant

by
Leave a Comment

For a long time, I’ve known that the world does not provide a level playing field. Some folks are privileged. Others are not. Some live long healthy lives. Other lives are cut short by illness, accidents, or just plain bad luck. Some folks have large robust families. Others experience one tragic loss after another. Most of us try to make the best of our lot in life and roll with the punches.

But this year feels different. It’s hard to believe in a system that is chock full of grift, lies, immorality, and cruelty. The people in charge seem shallow, selfish, vindictive, and sometimes downright evil. 

One of the feelings many of us have these days is disappointment. We’re disappointed with the country, with voters (and non-voters), and with the ripple effect of many decisions and policies coming down the pike. 

Mental health professionals recommend acknowledging these feelings which can help lower their intensity. Journaling thoughts also can provide clarity and a mental release from turmoil. 

Here are some other suggestions to conquer disillusionment. 

Practice mindful exercises which can result in patience, acceptance, and self-compassion.

Take up a new hobby such as painting, gardening, knitting, or learning a new language.

Volunteer. Volunteering can provide a sense of purpose, combat depression, and increase life satisfaction. 

Establish a routine. Routines can provide stability which can be comforting during turbulent times. 

Detox from social media and reevaluate how much time you spend scrolling through information. Ask yourself if it’s causing more harm than good. Listen to the inner voice that guides you.

Focus on nature. Find ways to connect with nature and calm down. 

Meditate. Meditation comes in many forms. Create a meditation practice or find a new method that works for you.

Move. Find a joyful exercise that resonates with you—dance, yoga, Zumba, stretching, kayaking, bicycling, swimming–they all can do the trick. 

Go easy on the booze. It may temporarily drown your sorrows, but long-term it’s more of a problem than a solution.

Connect with others. Cultivate friends and family you can trust with whom you have no fear of judgment. Such people can bring joy and harmony to your life. 

The Spanish philosopher and essayist George Santayana claimed that disillusionment is a pathway to wisdom. In short, he said that disillusionment can be a catalyst for change, and result in a plan of action. 

I agree. According to The Economist, Trump’s approval rating has dropped to 39 percent—no recent president’s popularity has fallen so low so quickly. 

The recent movements against Trump and his agenda are making a difference. Democrats are mobilizing and making strategic decisions as to which specific actions will move the needle. This month’s elections were a positive step forward. 

In addition, Democrats are becoming more pragmatic. Their messaging is focusing on the economy and cost of living. They are engaging at the local level. They’re focusing on electing even more Democratic governors in the next election and putting significant amounts of time and money into the 40 or so candidates running in swing districts. 

Democrats are also focusing on voter turnout. A major reason Trump won the last election was because an estimated 89 million Americans, or about 36 percent of the country’s voting eligible population, did not vote. Democrats are on a major messaging campaign to ensure that they mobilize these voters to get to the polls in 2026 and 2028. 

There is much more work to be done. But momentum is growing. Lessons are being learned. Let’s hope a wiser and broader swath of America arrives at the polls in the upcoming elections. 

Maria Grant, formerly principal-in-charge of the federal human capital practice of an international consulting firm, now focuses on writing, reading, music, and nature.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.